MANILA, Philippines—Luis Sinco scored crucial baskets in the final minute to steer College of St. Benilde-A past Letran, 63-61, in the semifinal round of the 9th Fr. Martin Cup Collegiate Open basketball tournament.

Sinco poured 17 points — six in the final minute including two go-ahead freethrows in the last five ticks which allowed the Blazers to barge into the finals set next weekend.

Mark Romero showed the way with 24 points for St. Benilde, forcing a 56-all deadlock with 1:53 left, but it was Sinco who kept the Blazers out of harm’s way down the stretch.

The Knights had a chance to snatch the game, but Nambatac’s triple missed its mark as the buzzer sounded.

Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines.

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.